The Government-funded Energy Saving Trust has produced a report on a field trial of heat pumps entitled Getting warmer. Mark Ellse has kindly provided a translation of the key findings from the executive summary into plain English.
1. "The performance values we monitored in the sample heat pumps varied widely; the best performing systems show that well-designed and installed heat pumps can operate well in the U.K."
Translation: Most heat pumps operate poorly in the U.K. Rare exceptions are adequate but only if the systems themselves are well-designed, installed and operated.
Lots more translations....
https://dailysceptic.org/2022/04/28/the-truth-about-heat-pumps/
10. "The field trial shows that heat pumps have achieved reductions in heating bills for some customers – especially those whose installations are off the gas grid and are therefore replacing heating fuels such as electricity, LPG and oil."
Translation: Heat pumps are always very much more expensive to run than mains gas. Even against full-price electricity or LPG, savings are by no means certain.
The report was produced in 2010, so the technology may have improved since. If readers are aware of a more recent trial with better results then let us know in the comments below.
I listed to a programme about heat pumps on the radio yesterday. The upshot was that the test subject they had provided for asessment could indeed benefit from slighly lower bills with a heat pump. But would need £10k worth of insulation upgrades first!
Quote from: -Oy- on April 29, 2022, 09:48:44 AM
I listed to a programme about heat pumps on the radio yesterday. The upshot was that the test subject they had provided for asessment could indeed benefit from slighly lower bills with a heat pump. But would need £10k worth of insulation upgrades first!
Heat pumps & insulation factors are like your new car that was sold as doing 80mpg but you get 35mpg from it.
There are aslo the most ludicrous claims made about solar panels.
I imagine Mike could make a saving with one as he has electric heating already. How long it would take to recoup the cost of installing one is the question. As he lives in a big bunalow I think he'd have to be buying a pretty big one.
It won't be long though imo before we will all look at comparisons and see how much we can save as they craftily reverse what was at least a 5:1 cost per kwh advantage in favour of gas.
Quote from: -Oy- on April 29, 2022, 09:48:44 AM
I listed to a programme about heat pumps on the radio yesterday. The upshot was that the test subject they had provided for asessment could indeed benefit from slighly lower bills with a heat pump. But would need £10k worth of insulation upgrades first!
What if they did the insulation first. Would the heat pump be cheaper than gas then?
Quote from: klondike on April 29, 2022, 12:01:24 PM
What if they did the insulation first. Would the heat pump be cheaper than gas then?
What they said was "could be" :)
Quote from: -Oy- on April 29, 2022, 02:10:54 PM
What they said was "could be" :)
yeah - could be
Mike
Yours would be but it might take longer for the cost to be recovered than it lasted....